By ryan byrd

new orleans is easily one of my favorite cities in the US. i love everything about it: the culture, the food, the architecture, the diversity and its resilient spirit. truth be told, there’s one major defining characteristic that i’m just not into, and it’s a biggie: the music.

i just can’t get into jazz and horn-driven music. don’t get me wrong, i love new orleans street performers, but it’s more because of the spectacle than anything. in terms of recorded music, it just doesn’t click for me.

whenever i visit a major US city, i put together a mix to serve as a soundtrack for my trip. generally, they consist of artists from that city or songs in that city’s “native” style. in this case, though, i’ve put together a mix that’s inspired by new orleans. it’s a collection of songs that reflect the kind of spirit and energy i experience when i visit. so while there are a handful of new orleans-based artists on the mix (mutemath, cash money artists, etc), remember that my primary intent was to capture the spirit of new orleans.